The Blessing of Power

As Shivaay exited the temple, he couldn't help but notice the envious glances from every direction. Excitement bubbled within him, though he had assumed he would receive some sort of advantage upon arriving in this world. But this wasn't so bad; after all, nothing came for free, not in his previous world, and certainly not in this one.

Navigating through the bustling crowd, he discreetly made his way to the hotel they had booked earlier. There, he planned to share the news with his parents and put his newfound powers to the test.

His father's eyes lit up with joy, while his mother's tears flowed freely. Both knew that with this power, their son could easily gain admission to any prestigious school in the empire. Scholarships and training resources might even be offered by the empire itself.

They didn't want to burden Shivaay with their expectations, so they kept their happiness contained. Nevertheless, their hearts danced with joy. His father suggested they go outside the city wall to train.

"Son, I'll explain this one more time. After your awakening, you are now in stage one of the Root chakra. The Root chakra is located at the base of your spine and primarily enhances your physical abilities. The halo appears when we release our chakra power outside our bodies, creating a friction."

"Dad, we absorb chakra power from nature, right? So why does it create friction after we release it?"

"Yes, we do absorb chakra power from nature, but it transforms into our own chakra power, and the god's blessing acts as a catalyst. The higher the blessing, the more pure natural chakra you can absorb.

However, there's a catch," his father added with concern.

"What's the catch, Dad?"

"Although the chakra energy is purer for those with higher blessings, it can lead to slower stage advancement compared to those with lower blessings. But, at the same stage, someone with a lower blessing can never match the power of someone with a higher blessing. The most crucial factor is class advancement – the purer the natural chakra energy, the easier it is to advance to a higher class. Some with low-level blessings never advance to a higher class at all."

"And the slower stage advancement can be overcome with various resources, but once you reach a higher class, those with high-level blessings display extraordinarily powerful inherited skills that lower-level individuals can only dream of."

Shivaay realized that in this world, blessings were of paramount importance, but he hadn't grasped the extent until now.

Thankfully, he had received a blessing from a high-level god. Otherwise, given his family's financial situation, he would have faced substantial obstacles on his path to becoming a powerful individual.

His dream was to become the most formidable person to ever exist and rule everything. He knew his dream was considered villainous, but he saw no reason not to pursue it; he had no intention of becoming a hero.

"Alright, that's enough for now. Close your eyes, focus on the chakra at the base of your spine, and try to release it outward," his father instructed.

Shivaay sat down, closed his eyes, and followed his father's guidance. After a few seconds, a golden halo began to radiate beneath him, steadily expanding. When it reached a full one-meter radius, it stopped. Shivaay understood that distance didn't necessarily represent power, so he remained composed.

"Well done, son. You've made excellent progress. You're indeed more talented than I was at your age. It took me more than fifteen days to grasp the basics. Let's head back; your mom must be waiting. After lunch, I'll teach you how to extract your skills."

Unbeknownst to them, high in a distant tree, a figure cloaked in black observed their every move.

"Report: the boy undoubtedly possesses a high-god blessing. Initiate the mission."

Ten men appeared and jumped from the trees, surrounding the father-son duo.

"Who are you?" the father shouted. A grey halo appeared on the ground.

"We are taking the boy," one man in a black cloak said. Their faces were not visible due to the cloaks.

Shivaay was surprised. He hadn't expected to be attacked just outside the city wall. He noticed that there were no guards at the top of the wall, which was unusual for broad daylight when monster hoards could attack at any time.

All of the attackers appeared to be at least equally or more powerful than his father.

A grey chain appeared in his father's hand, and swords materialized in the hands of each of the black cloaked men, with different colored halos on the ground.It was clear that a big battle was about to begin.

His father attacked, hurling the chain toward one of the attackers at a very fast speed, catching him off guard. The man was decimated into pieces. The other black cloaked individuals were astonished, underestimating his father's strength. The leader of the black cloaks stepped forward. "Let's all attack him together."

"Come on, I am waiting," his father smirked.

Shivaay also activated his halo. Although he was the weakest among them, he had to help his father in any way possible.

A tree vine emerged from the ground, catching two men and throwing them against the city wall, reducing them to a bloody mess. His mother had arrived.

"One more has joined; it's getting more interesting," an old-looking man watched them from the sky. "Looks like I have to intervene."

His parents were busy fighting the black cloaks. Although they were outnumbered, after his mother joined the battle, they had the upper hand for now.

A strong gust of wind suddenly came, throwing his mother onto a nearby hill, causing her to disappear into the debris.

"Honeyyyyy!" his father called out, pausing. A white-bearded old man was floating just above the ground.

"Who are you now?" his father asked the old man. He could feel the overwhelming pressure emanating from the man, realizing he was no match for him.

"Give your child to me."

Shivaay didn't know what to do, who to ask for help. He looked toward the city wall again, but there were still no guards in sight. They were in an extremely dangerous situation.

His mother emerged from the debris, heavily injured, with blood flowing from her shoulders. She found it difficult to lift her hand, but she had to help her husband, or they would all surely die.

After her husband had been injured in the army, she had also retired from the military special forces to live a peaceful life. She was even more powerful than her husband.

Watching the old man, she knew they were no match for him, even if they fought together. Nevertheless, she stepped forward. "Son, run and don't look back. Try to find the purple lotus city ; your aunt is there," she struggled to get the words out clearly, as she knew the old man would attack them at any moment.

She looked at her son one last time and smiled. Both of his parents knew they would never see him again, but they didn't regret it, as their children meant everything to them.

Shivaay knew exactly what to do. He ran toward the city gate, hoping to get help from the guards, increasing his pace.

Suddenly, two heads fell in front of him from above. They were his parents. The old man landed in front of him.

His eyes filled with anger. "You, I will kill you!" He activated his halo and rushed toward the old man. But as he reached him, the old man punched him in the chest, and he immediately lost consciousness. Shivaay couldn't even react.

"You must be grateful; your blessing is valuable to my master," the old man smirked.

Somewhere in a remote deeply hidden location.

"Idiot, who told you to give him drugs? Let him feel the pain; we were ordered for full efficiency," a man in a white coat scolded.

"Sir, what should we do with him after the operation?"

"I will keep him as my specimen. If he's alive until then, let him be of some use," the man in the white coat with a spider tattoo replied, looking at Shivaay.

Shivaay could only see blurry images; some doctors in white coats were operating on him. He was in extreme pain but couldn't speak or move a single muscle, losing consciousness soon after.

A girl watched him being operated on from behind a glass.

"Are you sure it's possible to transfer the blessing?"

"It's not easy, but it's surely possible—removing his root meridian and transplanting it into your brother. However, it's impossible to remove his life wheel, as it's connected to consciousness.

But your brother can replace it with high-level skills, although they will never be as powerful as inherent skills," an old man said, standing behind her.

"It's alright; this will be sufficient."

"Of course, it will be enough. But remember, if we're giving power, we can also take it back. Are you sure you'll fulfill your side of the deal?" the old man laughed and said.

The young girl clenched her fist tightly. She knew she was leading her empire into a dark abyss. But what could she do? It was necessary for her and her brother's survival.